how often do you have a "cheat" day/meal?

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  • macpatti
    macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
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    On a 'cheat day', so you go over your calorie goal, or do you mean just eat something you've refrained from eating the rest of the time? I will eat a Whataburger (mainly Texas chain) once in a while and feel like I'm cheating, but I still keep the day within my goal. For me a cheat day would be a day I didn't even think about calories. I haven't done that yet.

    a cheat day for me was not going to the gym, not looking at calories AT ALL, and eating whatever i wanted. i've done that once so far. my husband said it's key to his success, because he never feels deprived. he always looks forward to his favorite meal, and doesn't have to log-in calories or worry for that day.

    there have been times when i have had to exercise more on a particular day in order to keep under calorie goal/not go over, but i dont' consider that cheating. to me, the original post was about actually eating anything you want, and not logging-it or exercising it off that day.

    I haven't done that yet, but I can see why it can be necessary for some. I had a friend who had gastric bypass and would literally fall into depression if she didn't have a cheat day like this while trying to lose weight.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    On a 'cheat day', so you go over your calorie goal, or do you mean just eat something you've refrained from eating the rest of the time? I will eat a Whataburger (mainly Texas chain) once in a while and feel like I'm cheating, but I still keep the day within my goal. For me a cheat day would be a day I didn't even think about calories. I haven't done that yet.

    a cheat day for me was not going to the gym, not looking at calories AT ALL, and eating whatever i wanted. i've done that once so far. my husband said it's key to his success, because he never feels deprived. he always looks forward to his favorite meal, and doesn't have to log-in calories or worry for that day.

    there have been times when i have had to exercise more on a particular day in order to keep under calorie goal/not go over, but i dont' consider that cheating. to me, the original post was about actually eating anything you want, and not logging-it or exercising it off that day.

    i really feel that you shouldn't do that. even one day can wreck a whole week or more of hard work. stay disciplined, and play like a champion!
  • teri1956
    teri1956 Posts: 221 Member
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    I don't consider having a treat a "cheat". This is a long term life style change. It has to be sustainable. If I was really strict on myself I would never last. I would just fall off the wagon, give up, and gain it all back.

    THIS!

    I don't obsess about my food, but I log everything so I know what calories are available and if I will need to add more activity to my daily schedule.

    Good luck!
  • jumcadam
    jumcadam Posts: 95 Member
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    One restaurant meal a month! Followed by a nice long walk.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,679 Member
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    At least 2-3 times a week.
  • missikay1970
    missikay1970 Posts: 588 Member
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    i really feel that you shouldn't do that. even one day can wreck a whole week or more of hard work. stay disciplined, and play like a champion!

    i won't cheat for the whole day, it's just one meal. and starting now, i'm not calling it cheating anymore. LOL :smile:
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    I don't plan them. If I go over one day, that's fine. If I have an off weekend, that's fine. I just keep it in check, try not to do it too often, and if it negatively impacts my weight loss, I buckle down hard for a couple of weeks. So far though, I tend to lose more after my "off" days.
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
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    I go over my calories one day weekly. This is normally for a meal/night out & drinks with friends. As someone said earlier, I'll have a light breakfast and lunch, plus a bit of extra exercise if possible and enjoy. I wont go mad stuffing my face with loads of calorific foods though and will try and make good decisions. I'll always ensure that my weekly net remains under. I do truly believe it does more good than harm and agree this is for life.

    One tip I would persuade you on is to log everything, even for these meals/days.

    Good luck and go for it! x
  • katesbeach
    katesbeach Posts: 38 Member
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    I don't plan them out, but I try not to do it more than once a week. But lately, a lot has come up! Late night Mad Men viewing parties, friends' birthdays, a little extra money coming in, and now I have a really bad cold that I can't seem to shake and it's making me want to lie around and eat sandwiches and soup. I barely made it to the gym at all last week, and didn't eat great, but I managed to get in some form of exercise every day and try to eat as well as I could. A less-than-nutritious meal every once in a while isn't going to unravel all your hard work! Just enjoy yourself, don't stress, and get back on the wagon after you indulge! I know I wouldn't have lost all I did if I'd tried to stay super strict the whole time.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    i never have a cheat day i just eat whatever i want as long as i can budget it into my calories..

    This is exactly what i do too.

    Cheating implies you are doing something wrong. But we all know its good to let the body know that there's till plenty of food coming, keep it guessing.
  • Huskeryogi
    Huskeryogi Posts: 578 Member
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    i never have a cheat day i just eat whatever i want as long as i can budget it into my calories..

    This is exactly what i do too.

    Cheating implies you are doing something wrong. But we all know its good to let the body know that there's till plenty of food coming, keep it guessing.

    I agree with this, but also I have one day a week where I eat maintenance calories (+500) and one day a month where I don't worry about calorie counts at all - I do log it once it's over.
  • Brandicaloriecountess
    Brandicaloriecountess Posts: 2,126 Member
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    I don't "cheat" I'm not on a diet! I eat things out of the norm on special occasions. For example, I ate like a sloth the last day of the cruise I went on last month, and I drank a lot. At birthday parites or something I will sometimes have cake, but I just try to work in in my calories, or I work out that day.

    I have a wedding on Saturday evening. I am totally going to workout even though it is a rest day so that I don't feel guilty about all the alcohol I am going to drink :)
  • charlotte_r789
    charlotte_r789 Posts: 3 Member
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    I don't set specific times that I can cheat, but I'll check my calendar and there's a birthday, wedding, party, etc then I will reserve those occasions as a cheat day. Nobody wants to go to a restaurant and miserably search for the lowest calorie item on the menu, so let special occasions coincide with your cheat days! You might want to be careful if your social calendar is too full because this isn't going to work if you're having cheat days several times a week. Around once every 10-14 days works best for me but of course that varies from person to person. Good luck!
  • fudgebudget
    fudgebudget Posts: 198 Member
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    Once a week or every other week I'll have a cheat meal. It helps me stay on track since I know that all of this is pointless if I don't learn how to handle the foods I love when I go back to maintenance mode.
  • ImperfektAngel
    ImperfektAngel Posts: 811 Member
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    I have been having cheat days all too often lately :-/
    I should only be having them every 21 days. cheat days work best for me, if I have a cheat meal once a week I want to eat bad the whole day. I say if you control yourself to only have a cheat meal once a week, do that, if not try the cheat day every few weeks
  • hannah1591
    hannah1591 Posts: 47 Member
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    I don't consider having a treat a "cheat". This is a long term life style change. It has to be sustainable. If I was really strict on myself I would never last. I would just fall off the wagon, give up, and gain it all back.

    Couldnt agree with you more there!!
  • JaenaM
    JaenaM Posts: 251 Member
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    Once a day (most days) I have a little something naughty. A glass of wine or part of a chocolate bar (dark 70%+ cacao)... Both red wine and dark choc have health benefits in small doses so it's easy to justify a little. For lunch I had a full Mexican plate of tamale, enchilada, and beans but only half of everything so the meal was under 400 cals and I totally felt like the naughty itch was scratched! U just gotta trick yourself but I think a good blowout once a month would be great and I like the idea of planning for it. Perfect!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I never deprive myself, but I also don't log my food or think about calories at all on weekends. Saturday morning until Sunday night, I'll have whatever I want. Monday thru Friday, I stick within my calories. Unless it's a holiday weekend.

    I started doing that in June when I hit my original goal weight, thinking that would be a way to maintain, and have since lost another 8 pounds.

    Granted, I'm not on a "see food" diet, where I'll binge and eat everything in sight, but I'm not afraid of a mixed drink or two or five if I'm at a party, or a piece of cake or brownies, or whatever. And I didn't start doing that until I already reached a size and weight I was very happy with. I knew if I did gain a little eating that way, I could nip it in the bud and take it off again if I had to. So far, I haven't had to.
  • Cassiopeia00
    Cassiopeia00 Posts: 26
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    I do my "cheat" days on Saturdays. I don't look at them like cheat days though... I look at them like it is my one fun-food time per week that rewards myself with a treat I would like for eating very well the other 6 days of the week. :)
  • smb0701
    smb0701 Posts: 234
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    i don't actually plan a "cheat meal" i just incorporate it into my journal and i just make sure i don't go over my calories. i don't just eat anything and everything every day but when i do i just count into my log and limit the amount of junk i am eating. it has not affected me negatively at all. you should always eat what is your feelin' like eating i do not believe in depriving myself in the name of "DIET". just self control that's all.

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